Enhance creative and innovative thinking: what to focus on
Creativity and problem solving are fundamental skills for any endeavour that requires novel and useful products. The ability to generate multiple original yet practical ideas is sometimes perceived as a gift that only some had while not others. Science has demystified this and shows that the underlying competencies are within the reach of us all.
Here’s how.
Creativity (or innovation, if you prefer that term) is the harnessing of connecting ideas in a way that is useful. It has two parts. The first part involves idea generation. The ability to riff with three guitar chords and create multiple melodies or to brainstorm 12 new ideas for the existing company software to make it more helpful to users are examples of this. Divergent thinking utilises imagination and originality to expand the scope of what’s deemed possible. You might know some people who are excellent at this and for whom it appears to come naturally.
The other part requires logical reasoning or the ability to see the connection with existing parts. Answering multiple choice questions in a history exam correctly or many maths problems at the K-12 level invoke this kind of reasoning to see what the best answer is given certain options and constraints. Convergent thinking transforms imaginative ideas into practical ones, which is what you need when creating and innovating. One must both generate ideas of how to approach the solution (divergent thinking) and then evaluate which approach is most useful (convergent thinking) to optimise the possible result.
If you find that one side of this comes more naturally that the other, that’s to be expected. The challenge is to develop your skill in the other area so that you can both generate and refine ideas. Once you realise it’s a two part process, start looking for opportunities to cultivate these skills.
Here’s an example. There’s an excellent values exercise here. The first part seems simple enough [says the convergent thinker]: Whittle a list of values down to the ones that really resonate with you and how you are in the world. The second part is where it gets a little gritty. If you’re willing to answer those questions for each of your two top values, you’re exercising your divergent thinking skills. Really consider situations and occasions that help support you staying in touch with your values (feeling a sense of integrity) and those that conflict with your values. I re-did this exercise recently, and found one part came much more easily than the other but there was real value in working that part of my brain where perhaps I don’t use it so often. I’ve come away from it with a better understanding of which skill I could exercise more and it’s the divergent thinking. You’ll find me this month brainstorming, playing with word associations, solving a maths problem using two different techniques, and finding 4 different ways to wear my navy blazer. Once you see the world through this lens you’ll find there are opportunities everywhere.
References:
Creativity in Maths Performance
The Association of Creativity with Divergent and Convergent Thinking
Creativity and problem solving are fundamental skills for any endeavour that requires novel and useful products. The ability to generate multiple original yet practical ideas is sometimes perceived as a gift that only some had while not others. Science has demystified this and shows that the underlying competencies are within the reach of us all.
Here’s how.
Creativity (or innovation, if you prefer that term) is the harnessing of connecting ideas in a way that is useful. It has two parts. The first part involves idea generation. The ability to riff with three guitar chords and create multiple melodies or to brainstorm 12 new ideas for the existing company software to make it more helpful to users are examples of this. Divergent thinking utilises imagination and originality to expand the scope of what’s deemed possible. You might know some people who are excellent at this and for whom it appears to come naturally.
The other part requires logical reasoning or the ability to see the connection with existing parts. Answering multiple choice questions in a history exam correctly or many maths problems at the K-12 level invoke this kind of reasoning to see what the best answer is given certain options and constraints. Convergent thinking transforms imaginative ideas into practical ones, which is what you need when creating and innovating. One must both generate ideas of how to approach the solution (divergent thinking) and then evaluate which approach is most useful (convergent thinking) to optimise the possible result.
If you find that one side of this comes more naturally that the other, that’s to be expected. The challenge is to develop your skill in the other area so that you can both generate and refine ideas. Once you realise it’s a two part process, start looking for opportunities to cultivate these skills.
Here’s an example. There’s an excellent values exercise here. The first part seems simple enough [says the convergent thinker]: Whittle a list of values down to the ones that really resonate with you and how you are in the world. The second part is where it gets a little gritty. If you’re willing to answer those questions for each of your two top values, you’re exercising your divergent thinking skills. Really consider situations and occasions that help support you staying in touch with your values (feeling a sense of integrity) and those that conflict with your values. I re-did this exercise recently, and found one part came much more easily than the other but there was real value in working that part of my brain where perhaps I don’t use it so often. I’ve come away from it with a better understanding of which skill I could exercise more and it’s the divergent thinking. You’ll find me this month brainstorming, playing with word associations, solving a maths problem using two different techniques, and finding 4 different ways to wear my navy blazer. Once you see the world through this lens you’ll find there are opportunities everywhere.
References:
Creativity in Maths Performance
The Association of Creativity with Divergent and Convergent Thinking